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Monday, 24 January 2011

CADGWITH

The charming little fishing village of Cadgwith ticks all the boxes for a typical Cornish fishing village. Whitewash thatched cottages – tick. Fishing boats hauled up on the tiny beach – tick. Ancient harbourside inn with regular singalongs led by the local singing group – tick. There is even a Cadgwith Anthem, though you shouldn’t let the lyrics of the first two lines put you off visiting this delightful place:

Come fill up your glasses and let us be merry
For to rob and to plunder it is our intent.

This song is believed to have been written by local residents who wanted to produce a folk song for the town, and the first known performance of it was by the Cornish Fishermans choir in 1953. A more recent version of it was recorded by Steeleye Span in 1975.

Cadgwith is still a working fishing village, with the fruits of the fishermen’s labours including such delights as crab, lobster, monkfish and shark, some of which can be enjoyed in the pubs and restaurants in the locality. If you want to work off your fish lunch, there is an interesting coastal feature which can be found by walking along the coastal path towards The Lizard called The Devil’s Frying Pan, so named because the geology surrounding it causes the water within it to “boil” during rough seas.

About Me

I grew up in West Cornwall, and this has left me with an enduring love of the sea. That's me with the sun hat on a family outing to the beach.
The British coast is one of the most varied of any country in the world, and I aim to share it with you through this blog. I intend to blog my way around the entire British coastline, visiting seaside resorts, the best places to view British birds, and much much more, so why don't you come along for the ride. If you like this blog, why not take a look at my sister blog, Britain On Page And Screen.